The Waste Management Phoenix Open isn't so much a golf tournament as it is a seven-day excuse to party. So much so that all the birdies and bogies being unleashed by links legends like Vijay Singh and Mark Calcavecchia on the green during "the greatest show on grass" seem to take a back seat to all the revelry and rowdiness taking place.
And that's just at the Tournament Players Club of Scottsdale itself, including such annual party monster destinations as the infamous 16th hole and the Coors Light Birds Nest.
Meanwhile, club owners and nightlife promoters throughout the city hope to draw golf fans into the stylish shindigs they're planning over the next few nights and are bringing in some marquee-level DJs and producers.
To wit: Maya Day and Nightclub, 7333 East Indian Plaza, is putting on three straight nights of "official after-parties" with a primo lineup. Dutch house superstar R3hab kicks it all off on Thursday, January 30, followed by a special DJ gig by Lil Jon on Friday, January 31, that likely will be filled with club bangers, Top 40 chart-toppers, and high-energy tracks. And Dim Mak kingpin Steve Aoki will cap things with a typically epic sets at Maya on Saturday, February 1. Doors open at 9 p.m. each night. Admission prices vary. See www.sletickets.com.
The EDM impresarios of Relentless Beats also have booked some big names, including a performance by electro-house demon Borgeous on Friday, January 31, at International, 4405 North Saddlebag Trail. Doors are at 10 p.m. with a $12 cover. And British-born icon Paul Oakenfold is scheduled to appear at El Santo, 7301 East Butherus Drive, on Saturday, February 1. The party starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $25-$25. See www.relentlessbeats.com. — Benjamin Leatherman
